


Among Us

by St0rmy



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Blood, Body Horror, Boys reacting badly to dire straits, But not the only monster, Choking, Claustrophobia, Dead Hand is best monster, Descent into Madness, Forensic description of injury, Four (Linked Universe) - Freeform, Gore, Heroes pointing fingers and everything going to absolute hell, Hyrule (Linked Universe) - Freeform, Legend (Linked Universe) - Freeform, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Looooots of it, Mentioning dead bodies, Mutiple major character deaths, Nor does that matter, Not really sure whose era this takes place in, Sky (Linked Universe) - Freeform, Social drinking, Spiders!!, Spooky Halloween horror fic, Tags to be added as things get Worse, Time (Linked Universe) - Freeform, Twilight (Linked Universe) - Freeform, Warriors (Linked Universe) - Freeform, Wild (Linked Universe) - Freeform, Wind (Linked Universe) - Freeform, did I mention body horror?, fistfighting, lots and lots of blood, suspense/thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:39:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26975995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/St0rmy/pseuds/St0rmy
Summary: Finding a small desert outpost carved into a stone butte seemed to be a blessing as a sandstorm loomed on the horizon. It took four of them to shut the heavy wooden doors against the roaring wind, and the click of the lock had echoed with finality in the dark.At the time, it had conveyed a sense of security.When Wild later replayed the sound in his mind, it echoed with the hollowness of a nail being driven into a coffin.
Comments: 36
Kudos: 80





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ahoyhoy, and welcome to my spoopy Halloween fic! My goal is to update it weekly with the final chapter posted on Halloween. Please mind the tags and be aware that more will be added as the story goes on and things get Worse for the boys. 
> 
> This is a Halloween horror fic, so turn off the lights and grab your favorite stuffed critter/pillow/friend, because it's about to get a bit... dark.

“Search every inch of this outpost! Open every door, overturn every desk if you have to!”

Time’s command resonated down dark passageways ahead of the warriors as they fanned out through the maze. Panicked urgency nipped at Wild’s heels as he tore down the hallway, a curved Yiga blade locked in his grip. His damp tunic clung to his chest uncomfortably. Just behind him, Twilight was so close that Wild could practically feel the taller hero’s breath on the back of his neck. 

Finding this small desert outpost carved into a stone butte initially seemed to be a blessing. The Gerudo Desert would have been difficult to navigate  _ without _ the Leevers that frequently lurched out of the sand to chase them along. Wild, along with many of the others, had limped along with blood streaming down his shins as the cruel desert wind kicked sand into his eyes, his hair, his mouth. The band sought shelter in the outpost just as a sandstorm began looming on the horizon, blotting out the setting sun. It took four of them to shut the heavy wooden doors against the roaring wind, and the click of the lock had echoed with finality in the dark. At the time, it had conveyed a sense of security. 

As Wild replayed the sound in his mind, it echoed with the hollowness of a nail being driven into a coffin. 

The footfalls of the others died away as Wild and Twilight continued down the main hallway. Their torches hissed in the breeze as they ran, hazy orange light dancing along dusty walls and chasing away the darkness ahead of them. 

When Legend had lifted his fire rod to illuminate this same hallway the night prior, he’d peered into the shadows with a frown. “You sure about this, pops? This place is a little creepy.”

“Don’t tell me you’re scared,” Warriors chided as he elbowed Legend’s shoulder. “I thought rats like you didn’t mind hiding in dark holes.” It earned him an irritated swat in return. 

“It’s just for the night,” Time replied as he led the way into the darkness. “We’ll head out again before dawn tomorrow.”

“If you say so.” Wrought iron sconces lined the hallway, some of which still held wooden torches. Legend was able to light them with the fire rod, illuminating their path. 

The outpost was of a modest size, its hallways curving around one another in a winding subterranean maze. It would have comfortably housed only a few dozen or so Gerudo warriors, but it was spacious by Hylian standards. A cursory once-over of the structure deemed it fit to keep them safe for the night. No enemies larger than a common house spider were found lurking in the shadows initially. 

The exhausted travelers settled in the large informal lounge furnished with dry-rotted pillows and textiles that would have once been opulent floor cushions. Wild piled his travel pack and blood-stained boots alongside the others’ belongings, frowning at the new holes in his trousers that would need mending. A modest fire was lit in the hearth, and clinking bottles filled with potions were passed around to those who needed them. 

Wild chuckled at Four’s scrunched face as he threw back a tart red potion. “Strong stuff?”

Four stuck his red-stained tongue out in an exaggerated grimace. “Some of these are getting pretty stale, Traveler.” 

“I’m almost out of them, anyway.” Glasses clinked as Hyrule searched through his medical pack. “No more fairies, either. I’ll have to stock up at the next town we land in.”

“Hey Cook,” Warriors had called from the doorway, “are you ready for some good news?”

In their frantic search, Wild and Twilight ducked into the massive chef’s kitchen, tearing open cabinets and throwing pots and bowls aside. Warriors and Four raced past them down the hallway, both of them wide-eyed and out of breath. They were searching for clues, for answers, for anything amiss, but the kitchen was just as Wild had left it. 

He had outdone himself with dinner the night prior: hearty meat pies bubbled over with wild game and thick brown gravy, accompanied by crispy fried wild greens, salted meat skewers piled high on a serving dish, and finished off with hot honeyed apples that made for a sweet ending and sticky fingers. With their bellies filled and sturdy shelter to protect them from the howling dust storm outside, morale had quickly improved throughout the night. The boys settled in comfortably, playing card games or polishing weapons or just quietly chatting around the fireplace. 

Now, Wild and Twilight tore apart the lounge like they were looting the place, pulling up floor cushions and dusty rugs. Wild glanced over to where they had left their belongings the night prior - Hyrule’s pack, patched with material Legend quietly insisted he ‘borrow’ a few nights ago; Wind’s short boots set right next to Time’s much taller ones; Sky’s pack still cinched tight, an unfinished whittling project resting atop it - and his vision blurred for a moment. Twilight spitefully kicked an empty flask across the floor of the lounge, and Wild jumped as it clattered against the stone wall. 

Warriors had surreptitiously procured that metal flask from his satchel last night. Time quirked a brow as Wars took a modest pull. “What, didn’t you tell us to conserve water?” Wars winked as he passed it to their stoic leader.

The flask made its way around the group, and with a little heckling each one had taken a swig with varied reviews. Wind was the least successful in hiding his disgust at the taste of grain alcohol, much to the uproarious laughter of his peers. Legend had produced something finer from his inventory, something that tasted like fermented fruits and had burned much less in Wild’s chest. As the night wore on and drinks were shared, conversation flowed more freely (and more loudly), and tall tales became exponentially taller.

Wild sat between Twilight and Sky as they were engaged in a very animated discussion about horses. As he passed the flask to Twilight, Wild’s eyes caught on the mark emblazoned on the back of his hand.  _ The mark of the Triforce. _ It subtly glinted in the firelight as Twilight tipped back a swig, passed the flask along, set his hand back on the cushion to support himself. 

Something unpleasant stirred in the back of Wild’s mind and he turned his attention to Sky instead. Sky’s hands were busy whittling away in his lap, where the Triforce emblazoned on his right hand seemed to glow in the dim light. 

Wild’s eyes wandered around the group slowly, noting that each of them sported an angular mark on their dominant hands. 

_ Each one but you. _

The voice that normally whispered in the back of his mind was louder than usual, likely thanks to Legend’s sweet liquor. 

“Hey.” Twilight waved a hand in front of Wild’s face, pulling him out of his thoughts. Wild hadn’t realized that he’d been staring, or that his neck and shoulders held so much tension. Twilight’s smile betrayed his worry. “Feeling alright?”

“Yeah,” Wild lied, “just a bit tired.” 

But maybe he hadn’t been alright, because Wild spent the rest of that night in a bit of a haze. He remembered plodding off to the bunks with some of the others as they began turning in for the night. He remembered his displeasure at being relegated to the bunk beneath Sky’s (he always snored like a Hinox, Wild could  _ feel it through the wall _ ). He remembered the sour feelings chewing at the back of his mind -  _ Sleeping again, are you? How long this time, another century while your friends suffer? Lazy clod. _ \- and he pulled his travel hood over his head to try and blot it all out.

It took him a while to fall asleep, but it was a very deep sleep, mostly thanks to the bitter alcohol they’d shared. When Wild finally did stir, it was because he felt something wet beneath his hand, unpleasant stickiness soaked into his blankets. Grimacing, he fumbled the Sheikah slate out from beneath his pillow, tapping the screen and illuminating his bunk in pale blue light. 

Immediately, Wild recognized the dark fluid smeared across his skin, soaked into his bedroll, and dripping steadily from the bunk immediately above him. 

Wild swallowed hard against the lump in his throat as he and Twilight continued their frantic search. Small closets were filled with old cleaning implements and cobwebs. Some large rooms were left empty, and skulltula hissed at them from the dark. Locked doors easily splintered beneath his and Twilight’s brute force, but every room they uncovered was just as empty and dusty as the last. 

No enemies.

No answers.

Wild stood panting, leaning on a doorframe as his mind raced, panic beginning to take over. He tensed as Twilight nudged his arm. “Do you hear that?” 

Wild’s ears strained into the dark distance. 

A low scraping sound.

_ Something being dragged. _

The pair gripped their weapons and took off toward the sound, moving as swiftly and quietly as they could. Up ahead, a dull orange light crept away around a corner. Twilight snuffed his torch and Wild followed his lead, the two approaching as stealthily as their speed would allow.

They skidded around the bend, shouting as they raised their weapons overhead. Wild pivoted on his ankle and lunged, but as he did the arm holding his weapon went slack. He thrust his other arm forward, catching Hyrule’s shoulder as he crashed into the smaller hero. The pair tumbled to the floor as their weapons clattered away from them. 

“Fuck, Rancher, I almost set you on fire!” Legend snapped, punctuated by Twilight’s harrowed sigh.

Wild picked himself up, offering Hyrule a hand. “I’m so sorry, are you okay?”

Hyrule nodded bravely, but his eyes were wide and unsettled. 

“What in Din’s name did you find?” Wild nodded toward the large wooden chest they had been dragging along the hallway. 

“A weapons cache.” Legend kicked the side of the chest, revealing a collection of glittering blades within. “We thought it might be better to keep this safe.”

“Is now really the time for hoarding?” Twilight snipped, earning a rude gesture from Legend in return.

“Is everyone alright?” Time and Wind jogged up to the group, winded but no worse for wear. “We heard shouting.” 

“Yeah, just wound a bit tight,” Twilight huffed, sheathing his sword. “Did you find anything?”

“Only more bad news,” Time grimaced. 

At the main entrance of the outpost, they found Warriors and Four both heaving against the heavy wooden doors, but they wouldn’t budge an inch. Normally, Twilight would have snarked at them as he rolled up his sleeves to join in. The mood of the morning had been so thoroughly soured, though, that he and the others wordlessly set aside their weapons and got to work shoving and straining against the outpost doors. Not Power Gloves, nor Golden Gauntlets, nor Stasis Runes made any impact. Wild’s offer to use bombs was met with a resounding “ **NO.** ” 

“Well, there’s more than one way out of a dungeon,” Hyrule tried helpfully, procuring what looked like a small flute from the inside pocket of his tunic. He played a few brisk notes that… did nothing. Neither did Time’s ocarina, nor Wild’s Sheikah slate, nor anyone else’s items or spells or ideas.

“So there’s no way out,” Four huffed defeatedly, sliding down onto the floor. 

“Unless this actually  _ is _ some sort of dungeon,” Hyrule pondered aloud, “and we need to solve a puzzle or defeat an enemy in order to get out.” 

“Well, until we determine what’s required of us,” Warriors frowned grimly, “we’re trapped down here.”

_ Trapped. _ The word Wild’s chest feel tight.

“And whatever killed Sky,” Time ground out, “is still among us.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is best enjoyed after dark with some blankets to hide beneath and a box of tissues just in case. Please be advised that this chapter is gorier than others, although injuries will be discussed in a forensic sense. Still, please mind the tags and use caution as you proceed.

Time and Warriors laid Sky’s sailcloth over his head and face with shaking hands, trying hard to ignore the evidence of his final terror as they did. Grief hung heavy in the air as the heroes moved silently about the bunk, gathering their belongings. Knowing that no one would sleep soundly there anymore, and with no other place to lay their brother, the group had decided to leave Sky to rest where he had fallen. 

Four was the one to catch Legend as he bent down to pick up Sky’s satchel. “Going through his stuff already?” Four didn’t bother veiling his disapproval. 

Legend narrowed his eyes at the smaller hero. “Conserving what little resources we have left,” he hissed, fishing out Sky’s half-full waterskin. 

Four’s mouth twisted in disgust. 

“I know it feels wrong, but he has a point,” Warriors softly spoke, setting a hand on Four’s shoulder. “We have no way out of here yet and with limited food and water stores, we need to save every bit that we have.” 

“And to that end…” Twilight reluctantly reached up into Sky’s bunk, sliding the Master Sword out from its place beside him. “Sorry, my friend, but I’m sure you’d rather we hang onto her for you.”

Wild stood near Sky’s bunk with the group as they paid their final respects, some murmuring quiet prayers and blessings, others standing in reverent silence. He knew that he should have some final wishes for his friend, but as he scraped the recesses of his memory, Wild just couldn’t remember any. 

Wild stood, still and tense, even as he distantly heard the others shuffling out of the bunk. His eyes stung as he realized he had no words to wish his fallen brother safe passage.

_ The old you probably did. You’ve let enough friends down in the past. _

He didn’t move until he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Wild didn’t know he’d started crying until he looked up to see Twilight through a watery sheen of tears. Twilight pulled him in, setting a hand on top of his head as Wild’s tears darkened the front of his tunic. Wild listened to the soft words that Twilight murmured for both of them:

“Few hearts like his with virtue warmed;

Few heads with knowledge so informed;

If there’s another world, he lives in bliss;

If there’s none, he made the best of this.”

Once the bunk was cleared of everyone’s usable belongings, the torches were snuffed. The heavy door groaned as Time pulled shut. 

That was when they began referring to it as ‘the mortuary.’

***

Wild was no stranger to dungeons, just not dungeons of this type. The Divine Beasts had been large but open, and he could still see the sky while he was inside them, still be aware of the passage of time. This place was a hole in the ground with not a sliver of natural light to combat the darkness. The flicker of torchlight played tricks on the eyes, made him see shadows lurking around corners that weren’t really there. 

The heroes had paired off with one another at Warriors’s suggestion - both to keep each other safe and to keep an eye on one another. They wandered around the outpost opening doors, tapping on walls, examining every corner of the maze with truth-finding items. The outpost was much larger than it had seemed from the outside. At least three levels stretched into the ground, growing cooler and seemingly darker with each step into the earth. Supply rooms on the second floor were devoid of anything useful, although some rooms were infested with smaller monsters. (Privately, Wild made a mental note in case their food supplies began to run dangerously low.) At the very bottom level, they had discovered holding cells and an interrogation room, the rusty implements within making Wild’s blood run cold. 

They uncovered no evidence of foul play, no puzzles to be solved, nor any hints at another exit. 

_ You’re all trapped. _

Similarly disturbing was the fact that the quiet down here did little to blot out the voice in the back of Wild’s mind. 

Wild and Warriors were combing through a dark library they’d found on the second level. The walls were stacked with ancient books written in an unknown language, some of which disintegrated as soon as they were disturbed. Frustrated that their search seemed to be going nowhere, Wild took a moment to untie his hair, combing through it with his fingers. 

_ How could this have happened? _

Not for the first time that day, his eye caught on the sleeve of his tunic. He had used a minimal amount of water to clean the blood off of his skin and hair, but some still remained on his clothes. It stained in shades of brown and maroon where it oxidized. 

_ Why didn’t you hear anything?  _

Even surrounded by his brothers in arms, Sky had died all alone. Wild’s vision blurred. To fall in battle, the death of a hero, was one thing. What happened to Sky in the dark - in his  _ sleep _ \- was the act of a coward. 

_ Why are you so useless? _

“How are you holding up, Champion?” Warriors’s voice was gentle.

Wild blinked - he had been staring off again - and shook his head a bit. “I’m fine,” he lied, “just tired.”

Warriors huffed in sympathy. “It’s been a long few days.” 

“Yeah.” Wild picked up another book, gingerly opening the cover to leaf through. “I don’t think anyone is going to sleep tonight either, knowing that whatever killed Sky is still lurking in here with us.” 

“Whatever, or  _ who _ ever?” 

Warriors’s soft tone did nothing to cushion the blow of his words. Wild regarded Warriors cautiously out of the corner of his eye, brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Warriors didn’t lift his eyes from the book he examined. “You think what happened to him was the act of a mindless monster?”

“You think one of  _ us _ is capable of something like that?”

“I’m not accusing anyone.” War’s voice was hollow, and Wild felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. “But I’m not discounting the idea, either, especially considering how he looked.” 

Wild turned back to the shelf he was examining, quietly mulling over War’s words. As much as he hated to relive the experience, it wasn’t hard to recall how Sky looked. 

He saw it nearly every time he closed his eyes.

The bloody prints on Sky’s neck and face told a story of horrified discovery as he’d explored the extent of his injury. The cut along the base of his neck had been so deep that his head had nearly been severed, and any attempt to move or get up would have been agonizing. An injury that low meant that no matter how hard he wrung out his lungs, he wouldn’t have been able to make a sound to wake anyone. Wild had inflicted similar wounds on sleeping mobilns when he’d come upon their camps in the night. It was a very effective method of--

The realization hit Wild like a tree wielded by a Hinox. 

This wasn’t the savage act of a monster. 

_ This was a calculated murder _ .

Wild shut his eyes tightly against the painful realization. “I refuse to believe that one of us could have done that to him,” he spoke lowly, his voice firm. “He’s our friend!”

Warriors hummed noncommittally. “I’m just warning you, Champion. Even among the closest soldiers, I’ve seen betrayal take root.” 

He punctuated his words with the forceful  _ snap _ of a book slammed shut.

***

With no windows or access to the outside world, the heroes had no way of knowing how much time had passed in their day. Grumbling stomachs told them when to eat and tired eyes told them when to rest. Twilight and Four were following the former when they returned to the lounge from their final patrol. Time, Wind, and Warriors were already there, sitting quietly together. Four set down heavily on a dusty cushion. “Any luck?” 

“Not a bit.” Time sat straight-backed against the wall, arms folded across his broad chest. “You two?”

Twilight set down slowly, placing the Master Sword on the floor in the center of their circle. “Nothing.”

The group lapsed into pensive silence. Wind sat hunched forward with his legs folded beneath him, sliding his pendant along the chain around his neck. The o-ring clicked along each link up and down the strand. He had been staring vacantly, but as his eyes slowly moved to the Master Sword, his unreadable expression darkened. 

Time was quick to pick up on the storm clouds forming behind his eyes. “Hey, Sailor,” he murmured, watching Wind’s ear twitch in recognition. “You’ve been quiet all day.”

“It’s been a nice change of pace,” Four muttered dryly, receiving a sharp elbow from Twilight in response. 

Wind sat still for a long moment before turning toward Time. It was a struggle to speak, and his voice wavered - whether in grief or anger, it was hard to tell. “Why didn’t we try harder to save him?” 

Sadness crossed Time’s face, but he couldn’t trust his own voice enough to answer right away. Warriors laid a hand on Wind’s shoulder, and the younger hero flinched away. “I wish we could have done more,” Warriors murmured, “but by the time we woke up it was just too late. He was already gone.”

“Don’t we have fairies?” Wind’s tone was hedging on accusatory as he leveled each of them with a fiery glare. “Can’t Hyrule use healing magic? We could have done more!”

“Fairies and healers can do amazing things, but they can’t work miracles,” Time spoke sadly. “Once the spirit departs, no amount of healing can bring it back.”

The hot anger bubbling just beneath the surface finally boiled over. Wind kept his eyes on the floor, trying to hide behind his hair as a tear slid down his cheek. He ground the heel of his hand into his eye as the other began to spill over, too. “Sorry,” he muttered wetly.

“No apologies.” Time opened his arms, knowing he was the only one Wind might seek comfort from. “It takes courage to cry, too.”

Twilight politely averted his gaze as Wind broke down. Accomplished hero or not, he was still just a boy. Hearing Wind’s sadness stirred an old protective instinct in Twilight, causing his fists to flex. “Even if we can’t change what happened, we can make it right.” Twilight kept his eyes on the Master Sword as it glittered in the firelight. “This should be the blade to strike Sky’s killer down.”

“That’s a fine sentiment, but it doesn’t bring him back.” Four had withdrawn from the group and sat closer to the fire now, warming his hands. 

“I don’t think any magic or technology can achieve that,” Time’s eye lingered on Wild as he entered the lounge, hefting a steaming crock, “except maybe Sheikah technology.” 

Wind followed Time’s gaze before abruptly turning back toward him, eyes impossibly wide. “ _ You think he was brought back from the dead? _ ” he whispered. “ _ Like a ReDead? _ ”

Time’s eye glinted with something childish as he lifted one finger to his lips. Wind turned to Twilight for confirmation, only to receive a conspiratorial wink in return.

“Soup’s on! Well, it was meant to be a stew.” Wild set down the crock heavily, broth sloshing over the side. “I’m running low on meat, though, so it’s a bit thinner than I’d like.” 

“How much food do we have left?” Four kept his voice even, but there was an unmistakable undercurrent of panic.

Wild opened his mouth to answer, but Time cut him off. “Enough. We won’t be staying here much longer, even if we have to dig our way out.”

“Mmm, I could smell that all the way downstairs.” Legend strolled into the lounge, setting his sword aside and joining the others by the pot. Wild doled out modest servings and the Links passed warm bowls among the group, tucking in with as much enthusiasm as they could muster. 

Once he had poured out the last helping, Wild turned to see that everyone already had their bowl. He paused, a sinking feeling settling in his gut. “Uh, guys?”

Warriors didn’t miss the concern in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“One extra.” 

Warriors frowned, glancing around the group, counting them with his eyes. As he did, he set his spoon down. “Veteran, where’s the traveler?”

“He’s--” Legend had turned to where Wind sat next to Time, blowing on the surface of his bowl. He paused, turning to the other side, his eyes sweeping across the rest of the heroes who now stared at him expectantly. “He said he was on his way right back here. Did he not…?”

The heroes’ footsteps echoed along stone hallways as they fanned out across the outpost. “Traveler!” Legend shouted ahead of them. “This is a hell of a time to  _ get lost indoors! _ ” 

They split into two larger groups to cover more ground. With Wild and Four on his heels, Legend led the way through the winding tunnels he and Hyule had patrolled together, stumbling along on the uneven floor. Torchlight illuminated only a few feet ahead of and behind them. Wild’s shoulders felt tight as the hallway narrowed down against them, forcing them to move in single file, and was the air getting thinner down here, or was that just his imagination?

The group came to a crossroads, each of them shouting down one of the long, dark hallways ahead of them and pausing to listen. 

Silence reverberated back toward them. 

Silence and…  _ something. _

Wild moved forward into the darkness, straining to identify the soft sound in the distance. He cried out as his boot slid in something wet. Lowering his torch, Wild illuminated a thin trail of blood and footprints. He heard Legend curse behind him. The trail widened as it led them down the hallway, down another set of stone stairs before terminating in front of what was otherwise a nondescript wooden door.

The door squealed open on rusted hinges. It was much cooler inside this chamber and Wild could actually see his breath in the air. Overpowering the musty dampness that hung so thick in the air - Wild could practically  _ taste it _ \- was the unmistakable smell of blood. He heard something tearing, something  _ chewing _ , and he lifted his torch to illuminate the dark chamber even as the voice in the back of his mind screamed at him not to.

The orange light caught on the back of a pale, bloated creature hunched over near the center of the room. It turned toward them with the slowness of a child caught with their hand in a cookie jar. What it apparently lacked in intelligence it made up for in horrifying looks: dark sunken eye sockets; an unnaturally long neck; thin arms that tapered to bloody, rotten stumps; and two rows of cracked yellow teeth stained with fresh blood. 

It chewed with an open mouth, littering bits of warm flesh and green tunic onto the floor.

Legend’s anguished sound echoing up through the hallways announced to the other heroes what they’d found. 

***

“Ow!! _ Hylia _ , did you just bite me!?”

Legend fought back valiantly against Warriors on his one side, Twilight on the other, as his arms were firmly locked in theirs. The two taller heroes marched him down a flight of stairs into the sub-basement. They struggled to maintain their grip between Legend’s scuffling and the slick filth that covered all three of them.

“--is completely absurd, this is a total waste of time, and if you two don’t get your fucking hands off of me I swear on Din’s flaming ti--”

The holding cells were old and the bars a bit rusted, but they would still do the trick. Twilight and Warriors heaved Legend into an open cell and swiftly shut the door behind him.

“What’s wrong with you!?” Legend grabbed the bars on the cell door, rattling it soundly. “You know that wasn’t my fault--”

“And if you have nothing to hide, then this shouldn’t be a problem.” Despite being winded, Time’s tone left no room for argument. He approached the cell door, walking with a bit of a hitch. Blood streamed down the side of his leg where four neat slashes cut into his thigh. “Our reasoning should be obvious. You and Hyrule were supposed to be out together, you were the last person to be with him, and now he’s dead.”

“He said he was going on ahead before me!” 

“And you just let him wander off?” Warriors stepped in. “It was your responsibility to stay with him.”

“Oh  _ fuck off, _ Captain, you left me alone the other night when you needed a little ‘me time’--”

“And at least I kept my promise to look out for you and got you back to the rest of us alive!”

Legend’s anger at his helplessness and grief boiled over at Warriors’s words. The barred door prevented him from lashing out with his fists, so instead Legend hauled back and spit in his face. 

Chaos erupted among the group as Twilight snagged Warriors by the shoulders to hold him back from brawling. Time had to physically block Warriors from the cell door as Legend shouted obscenities. In the corner, despite nursing an arm riddled with teeth marks, Wind verbally egged them on until Four smacked him on the back of the head. 

In the doorway, Wild stood shocked and winded but relatively unscathed compared to the rest of them, watching silently as the party devolved into madness.

“Enough!” Time’s commanding bark silenced the group. He turned to Legend with fiery disapproval in his eye. “You’re going to stay down here until we can determine exactly what happened.”

“And if you leave me down here alone, I’m going to be next!”

“Who said you would be alone?” Time turned to the group, looking them over briefly. “Wild, stay with him, and don’t let him out of your sight. One of us will come down to relieve you in a few hours.”

***

Silence seemed to echo here on the lowest level of the outpost. Wild sat in the rickety wooden chair across the hall from Legend’s cell, arms folded over his chest. Legend refused to look at him, scowling like a toddler put in time out, while Wild kept his eyes trained on his friend. 

Despite his unwavering gaze, the gears in Wild’s mind turned incessantly as he sat guarding Legend. Sky was dead, now Hyrule was dead. Two of the heroes struck down, and they were no closer to figuring out what was going on. 

The way they found Hyrule… No one deserved what happened to him, least of all that gentle soul. Wild felt a lump tightening his throat. 

_ It should have been you, ‘Champion.’ _

The sound of a sniffle was enough to rouse Wild from his murky thoughts. Legend scraped his sleeve across his face, the mark of the Triforce on the back of his hand glinting in the low light. He continued to avoid eye contact, but the look on his face was unmistakable.  _ He was suffering. _

Wild slowly rose and crossed the hallway, pulling a soft handkerchief from his pocket and holding out through the cell bars. 

Legend glared up at him. “Not afraid I’ll kill you, too?”

“Well, I did see you bite earlier.” Despite the softness of his voice, Wild’s eyes were sad. “But I’m not afraid. I know you wouldn’t do that to our brother.” 

Legend turned away from him briskly, but Wild still saw the way his facade had started to crumble. 

“I’m so sorry, Veteran.” 

Wild’s heart fractured as he watched Legend’s shoulders begin to heave in silent, agonized sobs. He draped the handkerchief over one of the bars and sat back down, politely averting his gaze until Legend got up several seconds later to retrieve it. 

“This is stupid,” Legend spoke wetly. “We should both be up there with them trying to figure out who did this.” 

_ There it was again.  _ Wild narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean ‘who’?”

“You heard me.” Legend paused to blow his nose. “Dead Hand can’t leave their lair; they don’t drag their prey somewhere to feed. Someone had to have attacked Hyrule in the hallway and dragged him down there to--” 

Legend looked away abruptly, pressing a shaking hand over his mouth.

Wild swallowed, quietly waiting for him to continue.

“Weren’t there two sets of footprints in that trail you found? There has to be a killer among us.”

Wild turned away from him, the accusation making him uncomfortable.

Legend began to pace the length of his cell. “Sky is the heaviest sleeper of all of us, making him an easy target… Thanks to Wars, we were all sleeping pretty soundly that night, though...” Legend paused, turning to look at Wild again. “You were the one who woke up to find Sky first. Did you see anything odd or out of place?”

Wild wracked his brain. He remembered tumbling out of bed, fumbling with the slate to try and shed some light in the dark bunk, climbing up to Sky’s bunk to grab his cold wrist, and--

Wild shivered. “It was a lot to take in, but I don’t remember anything specific.”

“Was there anyone who was more disheveled than usual, or covered in blood, or anything?”

_ Just me. _

Wild shook his head. 

Legend returned to pacing. “The old man is the lightest sleeper, you can’t tell me he was  _ that _ drunk that he didn’t hear anything the night Sky was killed… And he’s always talked so disparagingly about the Master Sword… I mean, if any of us has a reason to hate Sky, I guess it could be him.”

Wild felt hatred bubbling up at Legend’s words, but he wasn’t sure what it was that he hated: the fact that Legend was accusing their leader of murder, or the fact that maybe he had a point. “Okay, but if he was just after Sky, why would we still be locked down here? Why go after Hyrule?”

“I don’t think this is ‘just’ about Sky.” Legend had returned to a darker corner of his cell, but his eyes were bright in the shadows. “If you wanted to kill a group of travelers, it makes sense to get rid of their healer first.” 

Wild sat up straighter in his chair, his blood running cold.

_ “I’m just warning you, Champion. Even among the closest soldiers, I’ve seen betrayal take root.”  _

Footsteps echoed down the stairs toward them, and Legend leapt to his feet. “If it’s him, don’t you  _ dare _ leave me here alone with him,” he hissed, moving further into the shadows. 

As the footsteps drew closer, Wild felt the hilt of his sword in his hand. Somewhere in the back of his mind, something was screaming at him -  _ It’s one of your brothers! What, are you going to kill him!? _ \- but he ignored the voice, shoulders coiling tight as the footsteps echoed closer. 

Stepping into the dim firelight of the holding cell, Twilight looked at Wild with concern. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Four peered out from around him.

Wild sighed, releasing the hold on his weapon. “Just a bit high-strung,” he admitted. 

“Well, it’s been a trying few days. Go get some rest, Four will escort you back.”

***

Twilight’s searing gaze never left Legend as he watched him through the cell bars. Twilight also wasn’t as talkative as Wild had been - although Legend wasn’t sure how much he could openly say to Time’s little shadow, anyway. Avoiding Twilight’s stare, Legend sat against the damp wall along the side of the holding cell, stewing in his thoughts. His fingers unconsciously worked against the cold cell floor, tapping out a familiar, mournful pattern that he hadn’t played on an instrument in years. 

He just wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

As much as it hurt to think of, there was no way Hyrule’s murder had been an accident, nor the work of a mindless monster. Legend was certain he had seen two pairs of footprints in the trail of blood. By the time the other heroes had arrived, they had traipsed directly through the evidence, and no one would listen to a word he said as they were leading him down to this cell. 

Legend heard the wooden chair creak as Twilight shifted, but he didn’t bother looking up.

When they had realized what was happening, Wild, Four, and Legend had immediately gone to work cutting apart Dead Hand to retrieve their friend, but it took all seven of them to get through the dozens of disembodied arms and finally reach him. Hyrule was already gone by the time they dragged what remained of him into the hallway. Any of the wounds inflicted by the monster could have been fatal, but with what little they had left of him to piece together, it was difficult to determine just what had killed Hyrule in the first place--

The muffled sound of screaming derailed Legend’s train of thought. 

“What was that?” He surged to his feet, gripping the bars of his holding cell. “Rancher, what was that??” He turned to see where Twilight was, but the chair next to the cell door was empty. 

Deeper in the fortress, cursing echoed down the hallway along with the sounds of a heavy struggle.

It was the sailor. 

“Hey!” Legend rattled the doors of his cell desperately. “Somebody let me out!!” He shouted into the darkness and paused to listen. 

The answering screams became high, desperate. 

Legend reeled, overwhelmed by the urge of the hero’s spirit to  _ fight _ and  _ save him _ and  _ fucking do something! _ Legend ran to the opposite wall of the cell and lunged forward, slamming his shoulder hard into the door. It rattled on its hinges. 

_ Where was that worthless rancher!!? _

He slammed into it a second time, his shoulder screaming in agony as the hinges began to creak. 

Over the sound of his scraping footsteps, Legend heard a terrified sob. 

His fifth strike sent him barrelling through the door, freeing him from the holding cell, and Legend picked himself up off of the floor to immediately go tearing down the hallway. With no torchlight to guide him, Legend scraped his fingers along dusty walls as he blindly groped along. His boot caught the lip of some stairs and he scrambled up them on all fours, desperate to keep moving, desperate to hurry. The darkness closed in around him, smothering him.

More terrifying than his blindness was the fact that Wind’s voice had gone silent. 

Legend moved in the direction where he’d last heard Wind screaming, running to the end of a narrow hallway and finding a cold metal doorknob along the wall. He yanked it open, and as soon as he set foot inside his boot slipped in something slick. Legend hit the floor hard, blood and gore splashing onto his face and seeping into his tunic as he slid into the center of the room. The torch Wind had carried lay in the corner, barely illuminating the small space. 

This was something that turned the stomach of even the hardened veteran hero. 

Before Legend could make sense of what he was seeing, the other heroes filled the doorway behind him. Warriors and Wild stopped dead in their tracks as they took in the scene: most of Wind lying prone on the floor, some of him scattered across the room, and Legend in the middle, soaked in his blood. The Tempered Sword stood proudly where it had been driven through Wind’s chest from behind. 

When the others didn’t move right away, Time pushed his way between them, pausing as he processed what he saw. Legend watched the emotions pass in his gaze - first shock, then grief, then a wild and unyielding fury. 

“This isn’t what it looks like.” Legend knew exactly what this looked like.

Time reached down, not to his side, but to Twilight’s. The warsong of steel resonated through the Master Sword as he drew it from its scabbard.

“Wait,” Wild struggled to even out his voice, laying his hand on Time’s shoulder, “we don’t know--”

Time shrugged out of his grip and slammed the door behind him. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, but the holiday season just wasn’t the right time to be writing gratuitous amounts of violence. This chapter was also a bit heavy to write, so it took me a while to take it in small bites.
> 
> There is a fair amount of violence and gore in this chapter, and a fair amount of your questions and suspicions will be answered as well. Grab yourself a blanket, and good luck!

Cooking was usually what soothed Wild’s nerves. It gave both his hands and his mind something to focus on outside of the stressors of fighting and survival. It was artistic in a way, knowing which spices to combine for new flavors, knowing exactly when you should add a new ingredient to the pan, or judging just how long you should cook your protein. The rhythmic sound of the knife clacking against his cutting board was usually meditative for him. 

Now, it ticked away the seconds he spent trapped in this hellish bunker with the other heroes.

When Time had returned to the lounge from the mortuary last night (or yesterday morning, who even knew anymore), he didn’t make eye contact with anyone. Heavy, wet footfalls carried him to the flat cushion in the corner that he’d claimed as his. Several pairs of eyes quietly followed his path, reflecting sympathy, and concern, and fear.

When Time tried to speak, his voice warbled at first, unsteady. He cleared his throat before trying again. 

“I guess it’s just the five of us now.”

Wild watched as Twilight wordlessly moved to Time’s side, still keeping his distance but plainly demonstrating his support. Across the room, Warriors sat in the opposite corner, a look of disgust on his face as he glared at his boots.

Four had nudged Wild’s arm to get his attention, flexing his fingers meaningfully. Wild glanced back to Time, noticing his left hand wrapped in dusty cloth, already staining pink over his palm.

“Wild, are you with me?”

Wild startled at the sound of Twilight’s voice. He’d been staring off again. Twilight was helping with chopping vegetables - or what they had left of them. The endura carrots were so soft that Wild would normally have thrown them away by now. 

“Yeah, sorry,” Wild sighed, shaking his head as he turned back to his own cutting board. 

Although he hated to admit it, having Twilight here with him made Wild uneasy. Having _any_ of them nearby made him uneasy now. It was difficult to rein in his paranoia, but Wild did his best to at least keep it under wraps, especially as their ranks dwindled.

Wild had no idea who he could trust.

***

Twilight carried the large bowl of roasted vegetables into the lounge, Wild silently doling out their portions. Warriors made eye contact with no one as he moved back to his corner with his meal. Four began shoving food into his mouth before he’d even sat back down. Twilight brought Time’s bowl with him into the corner, but Time silently refused it with a wave of his hand. Wild quietly settled on a cushion near the middle of the room where he could watch them all quietly.

“So,” Warriors eventually broke the silence, “after this meal we’ll be heading out, then?”

Wild glanced over to where Time sat, staring into the fire. He made no move to respond, like he didn’t even realize he was being spoken to. 

Twilight’s face was etched with concern. “Perhaps a short rest is in order, Captain.” 

“I think we’ve been down in this hole long enough, don’t you?” Warriors’s voice was much harder than usual.

“We’ve gone through a lot in the last few days,” Twilight shot back, irritation darkening his tone. “One more night isn’t going to kill any—”

Twilight’s jaw snapped shut as he realized what a poor choice of words _that_ was. Four winced sympathetically, turning his attention back to his meager meal. 

Wild slowly turned his eyes back to Warriors. Something about his demeanor had changed since finding Wind dead. He sat as far across the room from Time as he could get, and he kept his armor on even as he slept. 

Like he was ready to fight any second.

“I have a question for you.” Warriors turned his glare onto Twilight now, setting his untouched food aside. “Where were you when Legend broke out of his cell?”

“I stepped out for a minute to take a leak.” Twilight set his spoon down, suddenly alert and cautious. “The bastard was fast.” 

“He must have been fast.” War’s eyes never left Twilight’s face. “He would have to get out of the cell, make his way through this maze to get back to this level, and know that we had tucked his sword away in the mortuary.” 

Twilight’s eyes remained fixed on Warriors, something deadly swirling behind them. Sitting next to him, Time continued to stare into the fire.

“Then,” Warriors went on, slowly standing up now, prompting Twilight to also rise to his feet, “he would have to sneak back down to the second level and really luck out to corner Wind alone, since Wind was supposed to be with the Old Man.” 

Time slowly turned his gaze to where Warriors stood staring him down. He looked sad, and tired. He still said nothing. 

“And, come to think of it,” Warriors wasn’t bothering to veil his accusatory tone by this point, “considering you’re the only one we’ve actually seen kill anyone down here, Old Man, maybe you should be the one locked away in the—”

 _“Enough.”_ Twilight’s tone was a warning. “You aren’t innocent in this either, Captain. You were the first one to break out the alcohol the night Sky was killed.” Wild tensed as he saw how the accusation darkened Warriors’s eyes. “You and Legend both, in fact. Were you in on this with him?”

The rising tension in the room prompted Wild and Four to stand as well, uneasily glancing between Warriors and Twilight.

“Something about you has always rubbed me the wrong way.” Warriors’s voice was cold. “You always sneak off every night just after sunset, and sometimes you’re gone for hours at a time. What have you always been hiding?”

Twilight’s hackles raised as he slowly began circling toward the center of the room, cutting off War’s escape. “That’s none of your concern.” 

“Ah, but a man who trusts nobody is apt to be the kind of man nobody trusts.” Not to be intimidated, Warriors moved to meet him in the middle. Wild’s hand hovered over where his sword should have been. “That’s a lesson courtesy of the Royal Army.” 

“Ah, yes.” Twilight demonstrated his height advantage as he sneered down at Warriors. “The most highly-decorated band of cowards in all of Hyrule.” 

Warriors paused, considered something momentarily before he lunged at Twilight. 

The room erupted in shouting and chaos. Warriors grabbed Twilight by the collar, who responded with a deft swing for his face. Warriors leaned back just enough, gritting his teeth as Twilight's fist sailed past his head. He shoved Twilight backward, throwing him off balance for only an instant. Twilight ducked beneath Warriors’s retaliatory swing and grabbed him around the middle, pushing him backward sumo-style. Warriors braced, heels sliding along the floor, maintaining his balance up until he tripped on someone’s pack and landed hard on his back. He cursed aloud as Twilight’s fist connected with his cheek. 

**“** **_Knock it off!!_ ** **”**

Two pairs of hands struggled to haul Twilight off of Warriors, but the burly rancher wasn’t finished proving his point. He shook off their grip and blindly surged forward again, his fist connecting before he got his bearings. He was hauled up by the collar, nearly off of his feet, and rushed backward until he was firmly slammed into the wall. 

Twilight struggled until he realized that Time was holding him immobile, forearm locked against his chest. Twilight was pinned by his disapproving glare as much as his weight. Time’s free arm was raised, not to strike but in self-defense. A bruise already flourished beneath Time’s eye where Twilight’s fist had connected. 

Twilight went slack in his grip, his face burning crimson in shame. When he felt Twilight relax, Time eased his grip but stayed between Twilight and the rest of the group. 

When Warriors was able to shake Wild off he glared at Twilight, spitting blood onto the floor. His lower lip swelled quickly. “I don’t trust any of you,” he muttered before heading out the door. 

“Smithy, go with him.” Time’s eye never left Twilight as he addressed the group. “I think some time apart might do us all some good.”

***

The fight that split them up rattled Wild more than it normally would have. Truthfully, he was feeling stretched a bit thin, between hunger and water stores running dangerously low and his own mounting unease. Leaning back against the wall, his eyelids were becoming so heavy, but each time he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness he would startle awake again. 

_Better keep those eyes open if you want to stay alive this time._

That nagging voice in the back of his mind was also louder than ever. 

Between blinking in and out of fitful sleep, Wild kept his eyes on his companions. After Twilight scowled his way through a thorough scolding from Time, the pair returned to their respective cushions across the room, never too far apart from one another. Wild felt a bit ostracized on the far side of the lounge, but his uneasiness kept him from mingling too closely with anyone. 

Wild could _feel_ the hours ticking past with no sign from their companions. Worry began to gnaw at his heart as he watched Time and Twilight doze in their corner of the lounge. Exhaustion and starvation were taking their toll on everyone. Wild waited until he heard both of them breathing evenly before he slowly stood, making his way stealthily toward the door and creeping down the hallway.

_Yeah, good idea, go off alone to try and find a killer._

No, Wild reminded himself, he was looking for his friends. They’d been gone way too long. Hopefully, he’d be able to talk some sense into them—

_Or maybe they’ll be the ones to talk sense into you._

...What’s that supposed to mean?

_Come on, Champion. The writing’s on the wall here._

...

_Why are you being so thick-headed about this? One of you is a murderer._

Wild stopped as he came upon a wooden door in the hallway. Old blood in the shape of an ‘X’ marked where Dead Hand’s lair had been. Wrong turn. Wild grimaced, turning around to backtrack a bit.

_Stop denying the obvious._

But if there’s someone hiding down here with us—

_You’ve been here for days, turned this place inside-out. There is no one else._

Wild stopped, looking around cautiously. A dark hallway stretched ahead of him, a dark stairway downward to his right… He didn’t recognize where he was. He decided to take the stairs. 

His boots tapped along on the stone, echoing down the hallway ahead of and behind him. His ears strained into the distance, finding only silence there. 

_It’s just you._

Stop it.

_Ignorance isn’t going to solve anything. One of you is a killer._

…

_The Veteran knew it. The Captain knows it. Even the Old Man knows it, whether he wants to say anything about it or not._

I don’t believe you. 

_How conceited. The truth doesn’t require your faith._

A dead end. Somehow, he must have gotten turned around. Frustrated, Wild turned and began to walk more quickly down the hallway, trying to get away from the nagging noise in his head. The torch he carried whispered anxiously overhead.

_Stop being naive._

Shut up. 

_Actually, is it naivete, or is it stupidity?_

Stop.

_You’re just a coward._

Wild grimaced. “Stop it.”

_Spirit of the hero, mind of a child—_

“Shut _up!”_

_—and the only Link without a piece of the Triforce to show for your trials—_

“I said **shut up!!** ” Wild grabbed the nearest doorknob and threw open the door, hoping that an abrupt change of scenery would quiet the nagging voice in his brain. 

It didn’t.

Wild stopped dead in the doorway, the toes of his boots mere inches from the lake of gore and filth that congealed on the floor. His arm shook with the effort it took to lift his torch, unveiling a disturbingly familiar sight. 

Four was draped backward over a heavy piece of furniture at a harsh angle, his body twisted unnaturally. Just beyond him, Warriors lay face down on the floor. The blue in his scarf stained maroon as it soaked up the blood dripping from his hair. Wild felt himself stop breathing as his eye followed the trail of blood from Warriors’s hand up the wall. 

His final efforts in life had been to try and warn his brothers-in-arms, to spell out in his own blood the name of his killer.

_See? I told you, you idiot. The writing is on the wall!_

Far down the hallway, Wild heard voices calling for him. 

Terror gripped his heart as he stumbled through the bloodbath, reaching down to grab the edge of Warriors’s scarf. His shaking hands were smeared in blood - _Had they been this whole time?_ \- and his boots slipped in gore. 

“...-ampion? … —own here?”

Wild’s breathing was ragged as he began scrubbing the letters from the wall. Despite his best efforts, he swore he could still see the edges of the Hylian characters, could still read the crimson accusation beneath his panicked smears.

“Champion?? Anybod—”

Wild’s vision began to blur as he rubbed the last of the initials away. He rested his head against the wall, sinking to his knees in the filth, feeling cooled blood soak into his trousers, into his hair. His eyes stung, his heart pounding in fear and in grief. With one hand, he reached down to grasp Warriors’s damp hair; with the other, he took a shaking fistful of Four’s tunic. 

“Champion! Where are you!?”

Words wouldn’t come. All Wild could do was throw his head back and scream for help. 

***

By the time they made it back to the lounge, Wild was in a daze. Time sat him down on one of the cushions near the fire and Twilight wrapped his pelt around Wild’s shoulders. Despite these comforts, Wild still shivered uncontrollably. 

_Aren’t you going to tell them?_

Wild leaned against the wall, trying to focus on his breathing. He declined the waterskin Twilight offered to him with a shake of his head. “Rest a while,” Twilight spoke to him quietly, easing him to lay down across two of the cushions. Time clicked the Sheikah slate out of its holster and set it on the floor next to him.

_You’re a fucking coward._

Twilight and Time sat on the other side of the fire, close enough that they could reach Wild if he needed them, but far enough away that he couldn’t hear their conversation over the crackling fire, over the chattering of his own teeth. 

_Not like it matters._

Try as he might, Wild couldn’t keep his eyes open. He wasn’t as practiced at staying awake for long periods as the Hero of Time, nor did he have a nocturnal advantage like the Hero of Twilight. 

_They already know._

As his eyelids drifted shut, Wild saw their eyes peering at him accusingly in the dark. 

***

When Wild awoke, it was to the sound of sobbing. 

He had no idea how long he was out. As he sat up, he swayed for a moment, feeling dizzy and strange. His mouth was dry. 

Once he was able to open his eyes, Wild saw Twilight hunched over Time, who lay prostrate on the floor. Blood leaked through the seams in his cuirass, pooling on the floor around him, soaking into Twilight’s trousers. Twilight’s body was wracked with ugly sobs. 

The sound fractured Wild’s heart. 

As Wild stirred, Twilight’s head snapped up toward him, eyes bright and wild. His was the stare of a creature trapped in the sights of a bow, debating whether to lunge or flee. His gaze made Wild’s blood run cold. 

_“You did this.”_

“What!?”

As Twilight moved toward him, Wild scrambled to push himself up, but the blankets tangled him up. Sluggish with sleep and confusion, he struggled to get his bearings, but Twilight was upon him before he could. Wild gripped his forearms as Twilight’s hands encircled his throat, startled by the blood he smeared along Twilight’s skin. 

_Time’s blood!?_

“This is your fault!!”

Wild knew Twilight was strong, but his hands were downright crushing. He writhed on the floor beneath Twilight like a snake, throwing himself from side to side, struggling to dislodge himself from Twilight’s grip. 

_Maybe it was Sky’s blood. Or Four’s. Or Wind’s._

“ _Why!?_ ” Twilight leaned heavily on Wild, his voice breaking as he screamed in his face. “They trusted you! _I trusted you!!_ ”

Wild clawed desperately at Twilight’s gauntlets, leaving long pale streaks along the leather. 

_I don’t know why!_

Twilight continued to scream at him, but his hearing was gradually fading. 

_I don’t remember doing it!!_

Wild’s thrashing began to slow, his grip on Twilight’s arms slipping. 

_I’m sorr—_

As soon as Twilight’s weight was lifted from him, Wild inhaled deeply. He rolled onto his side, coughing harshly. His throat _ached_. He groped the floor for his slate, for something to defend himself with, and his knuckles hit the edge of a damp leather boot. 

Wild looked up to where Time towered over him, an unreadable expression on his face. He crouched down to Wild’s level. 

“I’ll give you a thirty second head start.” 

Blood trickled from the corner of Time’s mouth. 

Wild crawled backward, scraping his palms along the hard stone floor. His eyes flitted to where Twilight lay slumped on his side, then back to where Time slowly straightened up. As Time stepped forward, Wild scrambled to his feet and out into the hallway. 

Heavy, wet footfalls slowly followed him along. 

Wild coughed harshly with each gasp for air. He dragged his hand along the wall as he stumbled. He made it to the first door in the hallway, tried the knob—

Locked. 

His eyes nervously searched the dim light in the hallway, finding another door on the opposite wall. He threw himself toward it—

Locked.

An explosion of stone and dust near his head sent Wild reeling. Time grunted as he dislodged the Biggoron Sword from the wall.

“You’ve always been the outlier, haven’t you?”

Wild dragged himself along to the next door, and the next. The hallway was becoming darker the further he strayed from the lounge, and he ducked down a smaller hallway on the left. He could hear Time’s footsteps closer to him now, could hear the drag of the Biggoron Sword along the floor. 

“Always running from your fate. Running from death.” 

“Why?” Wild groped in the dark on all fours, completely blind in this hallway. He couldn’t see his hand in front of his own face. “Why are you doing this!?”

A loud _clang_ made Wild yelp. A spark briefly lit the corridor as Time’s sword missed Wild’s hand by inches, scraping along the stone. It illuminated a metal knob farther ahead of him.

“Do the math, Champion.” Time’s voice was low and flat. “Nine heroes, eight pieces of the Triforce of Courage, one weak Link that I get to _personally_ sever from the chain.” 

Wild scrambled down the hallway to where he’d seen that light reflect. He was flooded with relief to find this door open. He threw himself into the dark room, slamming the door and bolting it behind him. As soon as Wild drew in a breath, he clamped his hand tightly over his mouth and nose against the stench. 

He’d found his way to the mortuary.

The door rattled on its hinges as Time slammed into it from the other side. Wild backed toward the center of the room, cowering on the floor. 

“Today’s the day, Champion!” Time’s voice was muffled behind the door. “You’ll finally get to see your friends again, if only you’d stop being a coward and face the music.”

 _“Leave me alone!”_ Wild pressed his hands over his ears, but even that didn’t drown out Time’s voice, the voice in Wild’s head. 

_Come on, be brave for once in your worthless life!_

**_“Stop it!!”_ ** Crouched on his knees, Wild took his head in his own hands and slammed it against the floor like it was something detached from his body, something he could remove from himself. 

_Failure! Letting all of your friends down, just letting them die._

Wild felt hair tear between his fingers as he lifted his head and dropped it again. The rough stone floor stung where it scraped along his forehead. 

_It should have been you!_

**_“Enough!!”_ ** He felt blood trickle between his eyebrows with the last wet blow to his head. His vision blurred, pain searing through his skull as the voice in his head laughed at his misery. The laughter wasn’t loud enough, though, to blot out the sliding sound in the corner, nor the soft thud that followed. 

Wild pushed himself up, cautiously turning his attention to where the sound had come from. It was pitch black in the mortuary, not a shred of light to help him see anything. He moved forward on his hands and knees, sniffling as hot tears slid down his cheeks. He crawled until he found something on the stone floor. 

Wild trembled as his hands explored what his eyes could not. A large body had been stuffed unceremoniously into the corner of the mortuary, not laid in a bunk like the others. The vibrations Wild had caused in his outburst had shifted the body slightly, a limp arm sliding down and hitting the floor, almost like it was reaching out to Wild from the dark.

Wild’s tears ran dry as his fingers slid along frigid flesh. 

What made his heart pound wasn’t the jagged triangle that had been carved out of the back of this hand.

It was the metal wedding ring still wrapped around a cold finger.


End file.
